Dawn of a New Era
by Silver moonbeams
Summary: Draco Malfoy never became a Death Eater.What if he & the Slytherins decided to show their true colors to the Light and destroyed everything that they believed to be true?Family Magics and inheritances are revealed as they help Harry defeat the Dark Lord.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Dawn of a new era

Pairings: DM/HP, BZ/ HG, NL/PPk, RW/MB, TN/?

Summary: Draco Malfoy never became a Death Eater. What if he and the Slytherins decided to show their true colours to the Light and destroy everything that they believed to be true? Family Magics, blood magic and inheritances are brought into play. See what happens when Dark and Light factions join to save the wizarding world and Magic itself from utter destruction.

Status: WIP

Genre: Drama/ Romance, Supernatural, AU

Warnings: Mild violence, future slash

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J. K. Rowling. I do not own Harry Potter and the

associated characters. I do not make any profit from these writings. Plot belongs to me.

Chapter 1

It was that time of the year again. School was starting in a few days. Summer vacation was almost over. And in a way, Draco was glad.

The Dark Lord had made Malfoy Manor his base of operations. His father had been forced to key in the Dark Lord and his Inner Circle of Death Eaters in to the Manor wards, allowing strangers free access to the house and grounds, something never before done. Malfoy Manor was meant to remain as a stronghold for the family in times of need, it was meant to protect the family from outsiders but in light of the current situation, it only made them more vulnerable to attack.

At school, he would be away from the Dark lord's eagle eye. It also afforded him the privacy required to discuss things related to the war with his friends without the fear of repercussions. It was something that he desperately needed.

As Draco gazed out his bedroom window overlooking the manor grounds, he recalled the events that took place at the end of the previous school year and the heavy price that they'd paid for their failure.

The Dark Lord had ordered the children of his loyal inner circle members to find a way to allow the Death eaters entry into the school at the end of the school year, so that the dark lord could gain control over the school. The wards would stop anyone with ill intent towards the school and its inhabitants to enter onto the school grounds. It was their task to get around the wards and find an entry for the death eaters a little before the end of term feast. More importantly, it was Draco's responsibility to head the task and to ensure that the take over went off without a hitch.

He could still remember the many hours that Greg and Vince had kept guard for him under the influence of the polyjuice potion outside the Room of Requirement. Unfortunately for him, he'd failed. And what a heavy price he'd paid, Draco thought bitterly. Despite all his best efforts, he had been unable to secure the death eaters entry into the school. He'd needed more time, just a few more days in fact, but the dark lord did not tolerate delays and he did not tolerate excuses.

The mission was a bust and as he was in charge of the operation, the dark lord decided to punish him for having failed one of his most important 'd been held under the cruciatus curse for so long, he'd started to lose his hold on reality. He was almost eager to meet Death. Anything would have been preferable over that torture. The memory of it was enough to make him shudder even now, months later. The dark lord had only stopped the curse because his father had begged and pleaded with him to allow him to take his son's place under the curse. If it weren't for his father's intervention, he would most probably be insane due to prolonged torture under the cruciatus. His father did not get off lightly for his temerity to disrupt the Dark Lord's entertainment, but at least they had both managed to escape with their sanity intact.

That had opened his eyes to the reality of their situation.

That day, Draco realized the truth about the Dark lord. The dark lord no longer cared about what happened to the purebloods and their traditions. He did not care about what being Dark truly meant. He was only intent on killing anyone who got in the way of his quest for domination over magical and muggle Great Britain. Draco remembered the many times his father had told him the importance of maintaining pureblood traditions and preserving their culture. With more and more muggle-borns entering the wizarding world bringing with them their muggle beliefs, it was vital that they not forget their roots. They had to make sure that the original customs and traditions were kept alive. The light wizards were too accepting of the new comers and did not yet see the danger in accepting their beliefs as their own. It wasn't their culture and they shouldn't have to change centuries old traditions and rituals to make the muggle-borns feel comfortable. If they wanted to remain a part of the wizarding world then it was time that they made the effort to understand the reasons behind their traditions and the importance of maintaining those traditions and keeping their culture alive.

The Light in its quest to welcome and integrate muggle-borns into the wizarding world had truly forgotten what being Light or Dark meant and had allowed muggle prejudices to color their opinions. They'd allowed the ideals and prejudices of the muggle-borns to separate the light and dark as good and evil when before it was just another part of magic, like two sides of the same coin.

And the Ministry hadn't helped matters any with wanting to control every small thing and banning practices that they could scarcely comprehend with nary a thought to the centuries worth of rich tradition and culture that they were excluding from their lives and their future generations.

What was even more worrying was that, pretty soon they wouldn't be able to keep anything alive, not the wizards and witches nor their culture and traditions, if the dark lord continued down his chosen path unchecked. Things couldn't go on this way any longer.

It was time to make a choice, follow the path the dark lord set out for him with no guarantee that he and his family would make it out alive. Or take a chance on Potter and see if he could turn things around for the better. They might even get the chance to revive the old traditions and rituals if they could convince Potter that dark did not necessarily equal Evil in the eyes of magic. If nothing else, at least with Potter, he and his family had a chance at survival. And there would be none of the degrading bowing and scraping that they had to do at the feet of the Dark Lord. After all, Slytherins were all about survival and self preservation.

He knew what he had to do know. There was only one problem. How was he going to get Potter, Gryffindor's Golden boy to set aside prejudices and give him and his fellow Slytherins a fighting chance to prove themselves to him? Draco sighed. It would be difficult but not impossible. In the end, they might even have to reveal some of their family secrets, if only as a show of faith. He knew that his friends would support his decision and help him in this. The world was in for a rude awakening. After Merlin and Morgana, there was never a reason for the Dark and Light to join together to create a better order of things as both coexisted peacefully with magic flourishing as a result. Now however, it was time to unite again if only to stop their own destruction. He could feel the change coming, deep in his bones. Harry Potter was one very powerful wizard and with the backing of the Light and Dark wizards, he would usher in a new era where magic would flourish once again and they would remain free from the threat of muggles and their influence on the wizarding society.

All he had to do now was just keep his head down and wait a few more days. School was just a few days away. Things would have to remain on hold till then. The tides would change soon enough, of that Draco was thoughts about the future aside, Draco got back to methodically packing his clothes and books into his trunk in preparation for the trip to Hogwarts. He was looking forward to meeting his friends. It had been a stressful and exhausting vacation, if you could call it that really, with the constant need to be on his guard lest he attract the wrong sort of attention and keeping under the radar of the death eaters. He was keen to leave it all behind.

Draco smiled softly as he thought about how his friends would take his decision to change sides. They'd grumble and whine about the unfairness of it all but in the end they'd give him their support. They would watch his back just as surely as he'd watch theirs.

* * *

It was a friday morning and the Hogwarts Express would be leaving that day. Draco was packed and ready to leave. He just needed to say his goodbyes to his parents and then activate the portkey that would take him straight to the platform from where he could board the train with a minimum amount of hassle.

He shrunk his belongings and placed them inside the inner pocket of his robe and after giving a quick glance around his room to ensure that he didn't forget anything, he quickly left his rooms and went in search of his parents. He found them in the terrace garden having breakfast, enjoying an unusually sunny day. When they noticed him standing in the entryway they bid him to join them for breakfast.

"Come Draco, join us for a small breakfast, there's still time before your portkey needs to be activated, love" his mother beckoned with a rare, soft smile adorning her face.

"Yes son, come join us. It will be a while before we can do this again," his father reiterated.

"Isn't this a bit risky though, with the dark lord in attendance and all?" Draco asked quietly with a slight nervous look around him while joining them at the table and serving himself some scrambled eggs, toast and sliced fruit.

"The Dark lord has left the Manor in order to empty out the Riddle House of some of his personal belongings. He won't be back till sunset" Lucius replied in a quiet voice. He watched his son eat a few bites of toast and scrambled eggs and when he was sure that he had his attention again, he continued seriously. "Leaving all that aside, I want you to keep your head and not get into any trouble at school. We are skating on thin ice with the dark lord still and we do not want to be brought to task for any slip ups, real or otherwise" he emphasized.

"Try to keep a low profile. And most of all enjoy this opportunity for what it is. A chance to experience another year of innocence and freedom without the pain of bloodshed and fear shrouding you in misery like a dementor. A second chance to change the path of destiny and make a difference in the way wizards and witches look at magic. You are also in a position to rectify any past mistakes that you may have committed so far and gain powerful allies at the same time. Don't waste it" His father advised him sternly.

"I understand father and don't worry, I won't waste this opportunity, I promise you that much" Draco reassured his father with a small, slightly strained yet determined smile.

Having finished his meager breakfast, (he was too queasy to eat any more), he pecked his mother on her cheek and hugged her in a rare show of emotion and quickly repeated his actions towards his father and with a muttered "Goodbye and Keep safe", Draco activated his portkey and was whisked away to platform 9 ¾ where the Hogwarts express awaited to take him on his journey to a new beginning.

* * *

He landed on the platform with a slight stumble but quickly caught himself and straightened up and peered over the slightly crowded station, searching for his friends. He found them clustered together slightly away from the crowds towards the far end of the platform and quickly made his way towards them, a slight spring in his step.

"Hey guys" Draco greeted them with a slight quirk of his lips.

"Hi Draco, we were just looking for you. Now that you're here as well, shall we get onto the train then?" asked Pansy with a slight smile on her face.

"Yeah Draco, better get on and catch a good compartment or else the place will be run over with the Gryffs before you know it" Blaise concurred with a smirk on his face.

"Well, let's get a move on then, guys".

And so saying, Draco entered the train followed by his friends. He went in search of an empty compartment and found one slightly to the back of the compartment and beckoned his friends over to join him. Once they had all removed their trunks (resized now) and other belongings and stored them in the overhead compartment, they all sat down and relaxed in their seats.

Draco as usual took up the seat next to the window and was joined by Blaise and Millicent on his side while Pansy and Theo took up the seats opposite to him. Vince and Greg were sitting next to them.

Draco cast some proximity and muffling charms to deter eavesdroppers before turning to face his friends again.

"I have some important news to share with all of you. And Vince, Greg, just so you know, we won't be harassing any Gryffs today and especially not the golden boy." Draco told them in a quiet but stern voice.

"But Draco, we can't do that!" Vince was scandalized.

"Yeah Draco, we always harass the golden trio on the way to Hogwarts. It's practically tradition" seconded Greg.

"Yes, well, we really can't afford to get on their wrong side this time. I'm counting on their willingness to help to get us out of this mess."

"Oh, all right then," Greg said with a small pout.

"I guess we don't have a choice in this matter." Vince sighed, a bit disappointed at the lost opportunity.

"What mess? I thought things were fine at home, you never said anything that would lead me to believe otherwise. What's changed?" Pansy asked seriously

"A lot of things have changed and I can finally see the reality of our situation. I refuse to delude myself any longer. We cannot let things go on as they are; if we do then we run the risk of seeing all that we hold dear being destroyed before our very eyes. And I for one am unwilling to stand idly by and see it happen", Draco replied calmly.

"You all know that I failed in the task that the dark lord set for me last year", he continued. "What you don't know was that it was not the insignificant task of fixing some random vanishing cabinet. The cabinet that I was working on was to have served as the entry point for the Dark Lord's forces into the Hogwarts castle and I was tasked with creating an entry point for the death eaters through the castle's wards before the end of term feast."

"But Draco, that's impossible for someone our age" Theo exclaimed, shocked beyond belief with the unfairness of it all.

"Yeah well tell that to the dark lord", Pansy's replied sarcastically.

"Go on Draco, we're listening," prompted Millie, who'd been quiet till then.

"Well, I was almost finished with my task." Draco continued from where he'd left off.

"I had located the vanishing cabinet up in the room of requirement and I knew that I had seen it somewhere else as well. Vanishing cabinets almost always come in pairs. One thing I knew about those cabinets is if you were to put something in one of them, then it would actually reappear in the other one. I finally remembered that the other one was located in Borgin and Burke's shop, down in Knockturn alley. As you know, the cabinet was broken almost beyond repair and despite all my efforts I couldn't get it fixed in time. I even appealed to the dark lord for a few more days' time so I could finish the restoration work and get things in place, but I was denied the extra time." Draco shrugged and said, "And as a result of that denial to grant extra time, I failed the task."

"But why deny you a few days time? You would have succeeded in getting the death eaters into Hogwarts while the students were still there! exclaimed Pansy.

"My guess is that the dark lord wanted Draco to fail and hadn't counted on him actually succeeding and his appeal for extra time just gave the dark lord the perfect excuse to deny him his request thus forcing Draco and by default the Malfoy family to fail and lose face amongst the others" came Blaise's quiet reply.

"You're correct, Blaise" stated Draco. "The dark lord wanted to punish us to set an example to all his followers that none of us were safe from his wrath not even the highest ranking ones and set an example he did", he finished with a bitter twist to his smile.

"My punishment was the cruciatus curse. All the death eaters were to have their turn."

Draco gazed at them with haunted eyes as he continued. "My father was forced to be the first one. I was almost driven to insanity under the prolonged use of the cruciatus curse."

He heard them gasp but he was too far gone in his memories remembering that night.

_**Flashback**_

"My lord, please have mercy on my son, he is but a child" pleaded Lucius while kneeling on one knee in front of his lord, Draco mimicking his father's position with his head bowed.

"Your son is almost an adult; I have no use for fools in my ranks. He was given a fairly simple task and he failed it. There is no room for excuses. When I set a task I expect you to succeed. Failure means you suffer my wrath" the dark lord stated imperiously.

"This was an important task, young Malfoy and you failed it", sneered the dark lord.

The dark lord continued with a maniacal glint in hie eye, "I do believe that you don't yet realize what it means to be a death eater. You are as yet unmarked and I find myself glad of it as you are not yet fit to join my ranks. I do not tolerate fools and I do not like to be thwarted in my plans. I believe you need to be taught a lesson."

The dark lord leveled his wand at him and with an eager, almost lustful look on his snake like face, uttered a single word. "_Crucio_"

The pain when it hit him was intense. It felt like fire was racing through his nerve endings and burning him from the inside. His body twitching madly, Draco lost his balance and fell sideways onto the floor with a thud. Draco gritted his teeth as he tried to stop the screams from escaping him. He would not be seen as weak. Even then, small whimpers escaped him as he tried to keep himself under control.

Finally after what seemed forever, the dark lord lifted the curse. Draco panted with relief as he tried to take deep breaths and keep calm only to hear the dark lord command his death eaters to take a turn at crucioing him. After all crucio would not leave any visible signs on him.

"Lucius, I believe you should have the honor of punishing him first. It's only right, seeing as you are his father." The dark lord said sardonically.

"My lord, please" Lucius began only to be interrupted.

"Think of it as your punishment Lucius, for having raised a son who couldn't even complete a single task"

"Do not test my patience, Lucius, for you will not like the results" the dark lord warned.

Draco had by then managed to get onto his hands and knees. He looked up into his father's face and gave the slightest hint of a nod, telling him to do as the lord commanded.

With a hard and unforgiving look on his face, Lucius cast the crucio on him.

If he'd thought the pain would be bearable the second time around then he was sorely mistaken. The second time was just as painful and Draco knew he couldn't hold in his screams for much longer. Thankfully his father lifted the curse in less than a minute. Draco's body was still twitching with the aftershocks when the next wave of the cruciatus hit him, this time cast by Nott senior.

This time he couldn't hold in his screams and let out a long, tortured scream.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

The pain was indescribable and each time it only seemed to worsen. He couldn't even keep a track of who it was that was cursing him now. It seemed as if hours had passed when in reality less than ten minutes had elapsed. He honestly didn't know if he would be able to survive this with his sanity intact. Already he could feel himself drift away from this unending hell of agony that was ripping him apart from the inside while still leaving his physical body intact.

Suddenly all of it ended. It seemed everyone had finished their turn. Draco, his throat raw from screaming and with tear tracks marring his face collapsed where he was and saw his father's tortured face just before he fell into the comforting blackness.

_**End Flashback **_

"And that is what happened at the start of the summer, the night after I got back from school actually" Draco concluded.

When he looked up into his friends faces, he saw that they were horrified at what had been done to him. Some of them were angry at the injustice and indignity of it all and the others were plain upset at what Draco had endured.

"Everything about that night is a blur. When I woke up, it was to find myself in my own bed, being tended to by my mother, with my godfather monitoring my vitals and with a very hazy recollection of what had taken place a few days back and no idea as to why I was in bed in the first place. To say that I was surprised by what had happened would be an understatement. Severus filled me in on the details of what had taken place that night. My father came to see me after he and mother left. He was visibly distressed that he had had to curse his own son but he had seen no other way out. He actually apologized to me. I'd never seen him so upset in my entire life, well except that one time I accidentally turned his hair orange when I was five and he'd refused to buy me a racing broom."

That brought about a few amused looks and quiet chuckles from everyone. If Draco could still joke about things, then everything was going to be just fine.

"On a more serious note, I felt as if some major change had taken place in him. I could finally see in him the father that he'd been before the dark lord came back into our lives" Draco said with a glint in his eye.

"He assured me that none of what had happened was in any way my fault and if I wanted to blame anybody then it would have to be the dark lord because he was the only one responsible for what he had put me through."

Draco continued in a serious voice, "This is the really important part guys, he told me that the dark lord is becoming more and more unstable with each new ritual that he completes and that if we want our way of life to survive this war, then the only way to do that is to defeat the dark lord and re-establish the old ways. And I think we all know who that person is. After all, there's only one person that has taken up the mantle of bringing down the dark lord" Draco paused significantly.

"And that's Harry Potter," finished Blaise.

"Yes, Harry Potter" Draco agreed.

"Oh my, I guess we are in for a rough year then if we've got to get on to the Gryff's good side" Pansy said, slightly hysterical at the thought.

"Yes, you can say that again" Theo concurred.

"So I guess this means we don't get to beat up anymore gryffs then, huh?" Vince asked in a disappointed tone.

"Oh bugger, and I was so looking forward to scaring some of those ickle gryffie firsties" lamented Greg.

Everyone laughed at that. Vince and Greg could always be counted on to lighten up the mood.

"Scare as many firsties as you like, Greg, just make sure they're Slytherins and not Gryffindors." Draco placated with a wry smile. "Wouldn't want to blow our chances before we even get things started, now would we?" Draco asked meaningfully.

"Yes, definitely wouldn't want that" Theo and Pansy said emphatically.

And just like that they all settled in for the rest of the ride back to Hogwarts, each one deep in thought.

* * *

Hope you all liked it. ^_^

Please read and review. This is my first attempt at writing fan fiction so please be gentle. Constructive criticism is welcome as I would like to improve my writing style.

Happy reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Dawn of a new era

Pairings: DM/HP, BZ/ HG, NL/PPk, RW/MB, TN/?

Summary: Draco Malfoy never became a Death Eater. What if he and the Slytherins decided to show their true colours to the Light and destroy everything that they believed to be true? Family Magics, blood magic and inheritances are brought into play. See what happens when Dark and Light factions join to save the wizarding world and Magic itself from utter destruction.

Status: WIP

Genre: Drama/ Romance, Supernatural, AU

Warnings: None for this chapter.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J. K. Rowling. I do not own Harry Potter and the

associated characters. I do not make any profit from these writings. Plot belongs to me.

Chapter 2

They'd arrived at the castle with little fuss. Although Draco did get a few puzzled looks from the golden trio, he paid them no heed. They'd know soon enough the way the wind blew.

While the rest of the students settled down at their respective house tables, the first years were brought in for the customary sorting. In less than five minutes the sorting was over and done with. Every year it seemed that the number of students attending Hogwarts declined and this year was no exception. They'd only had 15 students in all this year, one of the lowest turn outs in decades. On an average, there were 30 to 35 students in a year with each House getting nearly 8 to 10 students. This year though, there were 5 students in Gryffindor, 3 in Ravenclaw, 3 in Hufflepuff and 4 in Slytherin.

Well, at least Slytherin was still attracting some students. That was something to be thankful for, thought Draco, slightly pleased.

After a small welcoming speech by Dumbledore and a few Start of Term notices, the food appeared on the tables and the students dug in with gusto amidst lots of chatter. For most of the upperclassmen, it was the time to catch up on the happenings of the summer vacation and reconnect with friends.

Draco kept an eye on the first years just to make sure that all was right with them while he and his friends ate their meal in near silence with just the occasional comment from the lower years reaching their ears, the chatter in the Great Hall drowning out everything else.

Every one of his friends seemed to be lost in thought, which was fine with Draco as he had given them a lot to think about. Their whole future was dependent on them taking the right decision and it was just something that couldn't be rushed. They needed to be sure that this was the path for them personally; Draco couldn't and wouldn't make that choice for them. It would be a long and hard road, fraught with difficulties but in the end, it would be worth it. He would give them a few days to make up their minds, and then they'd have to come up with a plan to get Potter to put aside personal differences and at least give them a chance to present to him, their side of the picture. Going to Dumbledore was out of the question. He was too manipulative by far; to ever have the best interests of Slytherins at heart.

Hopefully things with Potter would work out for them, because if they didn't, well he didn't even want to think about what would happen to them if they didn't, Draco thought with a mental shudder.

As it was the weekend, classes wouldn't be starting until Monday. That gave them enough time to themselves to think things through without having any distractions. It also gave them some time just to relax and unwind without the stress of classes clouding their minds.

He was brought out of his thoughts when Prof. Dumbledore stood up to wish everyone a good night.

"Everyone has eaten to their heart's content, I hope" Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eyes and a broad smile on his face.

"Classes will begin on Monday morning. You will receive your timetables at breakfast tomorrow. That means you have the whole weekend to get to know your year mates as well as get acquainted with the senior members of your houses and settle down in your dorms" he continued with a jovial look on his face.

"Any queries or complaints that you may have can be taken to your prefects and if they are unable to sort things out satisfactorily, then they in turn will come get us to set right any problems that may arise", Dumbledore instructed before finally bidding them a good night.

"Good night and pleasant dreams everyone."

"Prefects, please escort the first years to their dorms" ordered Dumbledore and with a final glance over the student body, turned and left through the side entrance followed shortly by some of their professors.

Draco looked up to the head table and saw that his godfather had already left. He would be seeing him soon enough in the common room.

Getting up from the table, he quickly rounded up the first years to take them down to the common room and saw that his friends were also ready to leave.

Tuning back to the first years he said, "Follow me, stay together and don't wander off."

"I will be very unhappy if I have to go in search of anybody at this time of the night", warned Draco.

"You'll have the whole year to explore this place to your heart's content, but now is not the time" Pansy voiced from somewhere in the back.

With that said Draco led them out of the great hall and headed off down the corridor that would lead them all down into the dungeons to where their common room was located.

Ten minutes later, after passing various classrooms, they reached a blank section of wall that was adorned with a carving of a snake. It almost looked life like with its fangs extended and glittering emerald green eyes.

The password is ' **_Cambio por el mejor _**' , Draco informed the students.

"It gets changed every week. The new password will be posted up in the notice board hung in the common room. Remember to see what it is or you'll be locked out until another member of the house can let you in."

As soon as the password was said out loud, the carved snake seemed to move inwards and melt away before their very eyes as the wall rearranged to form an archway leading into the Slytherin common room, in a manner very similar to the way the entrance to Diagon alley through the Leaky Cauldron opened.

Once every one was inside, the wall sealed itself with the snake once again taking pride of place in the centre, effectively closing off the entrance. There was a similar snake on the inner side of the wall as well and it would open up as soon as any Slytherin approached it with the intention of heading out.

"First years, boys will share one room and the girls will share another as there seems to be only 4 of you this year. The boys have a room in the right wing that leads from the common room and the girls in the left. All first years are to wait in the common room till our Head of House, Prof. Severus Snape arrives. He will be giving you an introductory speech on the rules governing Slytherin house" Draco informed them while the rest of the students, including most of his friends headed up into their own rooms. A few of the 6th year students lounged on the couches close to the fireplace, seemingly to continue their conversation from dinner.

The professor entered the common room just as he finished speaking to the first years. The common room quieted immediately as the upper class students that were still sitting around the fireplace catching up with friends noticed their Head of House entering the common room.

The professor beckoned the first years to him and addressed them with a stern look on his face.

"I am Professor Severus Snape, your Head of House as well as your Potions professor."

"You are the next generation of slytherins. As a slytherin, you will be faced with prejudice from the students. They may taunt you, threaten you and even try to get you into trouble. Do not let them get to you. Any such instances and you are to report directly to me." Severus ordered.

"You are to stick together and help each other through these tough times. That is not to say that you cannot make friends outside your houses."

"My only advice would be to use caution when trusting others."

"As Slytherins, I expect you all to comport yourselves with grace and dignity. Respect your teachers, keep up with your studies and perform to the best of your abilities in all the subjects and I will award you points. Any shameful behavior and rule breaking will land you in detention with me or a professor of my choice and a loss of points." Severus warned them sternly with a hard look at each of his newest Slytherins.

Draco could see that the first years were hanging on the professor's every word and he knew from the expressions on their faces, that they would never do anything that would cause their professor to be disappointed in them.

His godfather kept them for a few more minutes before sending them off straight to bed.

As soon as they were out of sight, Severus turned to Draco, motioned for him to follow him and swept out of the common room, leaving Draco no option but to follow.

He followed Severus out of the common room and into his personal quarters, situated slightly away from the Slytherin dorms and was directed to take a seat on the couch while his godfather went to pour himself a shot of firewhiskey.

"So tell me, are your friends aware of what has taken place this past summer?" Severus asked directly, never having been one for subtlety.

"Yes, I found it best to let them know the details as soon as possible. Monday would prove to be close enough to find out their thoughts about this whole _situation_ that we find ourselves in," Draco answered with a frown, elbows on his knees, hands clasped under his chin.

"I see. Well, in that case, I hope that things sort themselves out in the manner that you wish." Severus gazed at him with a pensive look on his face, occasionally sipping his glass of firewhiskey.

"Come to me if you find yourself in need of any assistance" Severus ordered suddenly.

"You know I will, Uncle Sev", Draco replied softly yet firmly.

"Hmm...I hope you are taking your potions without fail?" Severus questioned with a concerned look.

"Of course I am, you know I won't neglect something that important", Draco was quick to reassure him.

"Then I suggest you head off to bed, its getting late", Severus said. "Good night."

"Good night Uncle Sev and pleasant dreams" wished Draco and getting up, quickly hugged his godfather. For a moment Severus was caught off guard but quickly returned the hug and with a final pat on his back, motioned for Draco to get going.

"Get going, brat, before I'm forced to take points off for being out after curfew" Severus ordered with a smirk.

"I'm going already!" Draco replied, already making his way towards the door.

Out of the blue, Draco turned back and quickly hugged Severus and whispered a soft, "I love you Uncle Sev, thanks for taking care of me and looking out for me this past summer."

"I love you too Draco and I will always look out for you. You're my favorite godson after all." Severus smirked.

"I'm your only godson, Uncle Sev", Draco replied with an answering smirk.

Finally, with a softly whispered "Thanks, Uncle Sev, I really needed that" and after receiving an equally soft

"You're welcome" in reply, Draco headed off towards his dorm for the night.

* * *

It was the weekend and though he didn't have anything planned, it wasn't in his nature to sleep the day away. With that thought in mind, Draco got out of bed and headed off to the showers to finish up his morning routine. A quick glance around the room revealed that Theo and Vince's beds were empty and while he could see that where Blaise was just beginning to wake up, Greg was still fast asleep.

He'd wake him up in a while, he decided as he brushed his teeth. After rinsing his mouth and checking to see if there were new towels on the rack, he entered the stall and turned on the shower, adjusting the temperature to just the way he liked it. Standing under its hot spray, he ducked his head under the spray and allowed it to wet his hair so that he could wash it. As his hands went about washing his hair in practiced motions, his mind wandered to their present situation and how his friends were reacting to his news.

He'd known he would become a death eater once he'd graduated. It had seemed inevitable but now he was simply glad that he still had the year left to change his destiny and he'd be damned if he'd let this opportunity pass him by, he thought determinedly as he finished rinsing the conditioner out of his hair and after a final few minutes under the water, he turned off the water and toweled off his wet hair and used a second towel to dry off his body. Wrapping the towel around his waist and slinging the other round his neck, he made his way back to his closet to pick out his clothes for the day.

Their dorm was quite large with each individual having a separate closet and bedside drawer in addition to their beds. The beds were four poster beds with thick, green curtains that could be drawn to provide privacy. The trunks occupied the area at the foot of the bed.

There were windows charmed such that they always showed the time of day and the weather as it was outside, thus bringing in a lot of light in the mornings and making the dorm look bright and inviting for all that it was located in the dungeons. Only one of the windows showed their actual surroundings which was the underwater vista of the black lake.

There were rich curtains to draw across the windows if required but they were almost always open lending the room an airy look. Their beds were made of a dark wood, polished to a shine, rosewood most probably, and contrasted nicely with the crisp white sheets and a dark green comforter trimmed in silver that lay atop it.

As he sorted through the clothes hung in the closet, he thought about what he would do if his friends agreed to give the light side a chance and where it would take them in the long run.

Donning a pair of black trousers and pairing it off with a dark green silk shirt, Draco glanced into the mirror to run a brush through his still wet hair. A quick look around the room revealed that Blaise had woken up and disappeared into the bathroom while Greg was still asleep. Blaise would probably wake him up before he himself left the dorm.

With a final glance to ensure he looked his normal, well-groomed self, Draco left the dorm and met up with Pansy who was just coming out of the Girls' dorms. With a quick smile and a greeting, they then made their way to the Great Hall to grab a bite of breakfast.

Taking up seats at the Slytherin table next to Theo and Millie and opposite Vince, Draco began to help himself to some scones and jam and cream. He'd always loved having warm scones slathered with raspberry jam and clotted cream for breakfast.

A glance across the hall, over to where the Gryffindors were sitting, revealed that Potter was at breakfast, for once without Weasely and Granger, and more surprisingly with Longbottom for company. His attention was called back to his friends when he saw Pansy cast 'muffliato' a muffling charm followed by anti-eavesdropping charms around their group. Once that was done, she spoke up in a quiet voice filled with determination.

"I'll follow wherever you go Draco. I'll stick by whatever decision that you take", she stated firmly.

"You've been my best friend since before I can remember and you've never once steered me wrong before and I trust you" she said fiercely, looking him in the eyes to show just how serious she was.

"With my life, if it comes to that" she added calmly.

"We really have nothing to lose any way; it can't hurt to give Potter a chance. After all, if things don't work out, it won't really matter one way or the other. We'll still be in the same intolerable situation, only with much less hope of coming out of this war unscathed." Theo said with a pensive look on his face.

Draco took that as a sign of Theo's willingness to give Potter a chance while a quick nod and an equally quiet "I agree" from Vince and Millie reassured him that all of his friends would stick by him in these trying times and that they would all try their best to survive this war, by any means necessary, irrespective of their parents' loyalties.

Now he just needed to know what Blaise and Greg had decided though he was almost positive that they would also side with him.

He had almost finished his breakfast when he was joined by Blaise and Greg.

"Good morning, guys", Pansy wished them with a smile and received a quick smile and greeting in return.

Once they had seated and served themselves some breakfast, Pansy was quick to catch them up on the topic of conversation and at a quirked eyebrow from Draco; Greg was quick to voice his assent.

Blaise who had just taken a bite of his cheese omelet chewed thoughtfully and after washing it down with a few sips of lemon tea glanced at the rest of them sitting beside him and finally looked up into Draco's eyes with a determined look on his face and calmly stated, "I'm with you."

"No matter which side you choose in the end."

He continued with a somber look on his face, "One thing is certain; as Slytherins, we won't get anywhere if we don't stick together as no one will be willing to give us the time of day. Whatever we do, whichever side we choose, we must do it together", he added forcefully looking everyone in the eye.

"We do not have the option of remaining neutral in this war. We would be deluding ourselves if we think that the Dark Lord will allow us to remain neutral" Draco added seriously. "It would be too dangerous for him to leave us alive."

"And we all know that he isn't one to think twice about killing us all", piped in Theo wryly.

"So I guess that leaves us with two options; either we bow down to the dark lord and allow him to control us and our future," Pansy paused as she glanced at Millie, who picked up the thread and continued for her.

"Or we outright defy him and join the rebellion and fight for a better life for us and our future generations." Millie had quickly realized where Pansy was going with that line of thought and finished it for her with a decisive air and a forceful stab of her fork in their direction.

"I for one, hope to get out of this mess alive and hopefully get married, have kids and lead a full life without the threat of death hanging over my head."

"I certainly don't want to spend the rest of my life under the control of a madman who doesn't even have our best interests at heart and would just as easily kill us all for some imagined slight as if flicking off an annoying gnat" Millie said, disgust filling her as she imagined their likely state if things were to continue the way they were; with all the purebloods reduced to bowing down to a mad man with the shadow of death dogging their every footstep.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say that I hope all of us make it out of this war alive, and if that means backing Potter in his quest to defeat the dark lord then so be it", Millie said, shrugging her shoulders.

"I guess we're all agreed then", Blaise informed Draco after a quick, confirming glance at everyone.

"Now then, any ideas on how we should approach Potter?"

"Well, a few of us can try and talk to him, see if he's willing to have a chat with us", Pansy replied, looking over to where Potter was sitting and having breakfast.

"Though I don't think he'd be very receptive if it were you, Draco, no offence, but you have way too many unresolved issues between the two of you", she added quickly.

"I agree with Pansy, but that just means that by the same token, she is out of the question as well as Vince and Greg." Theo pointed out.

"Pansy has always played a huge part in baiting Weasley and picking fights with the trio and if we send Vince and Greg, they're just going to assume that they've come to threaten them or beat them up if that doesn't work" Theo finished with a smirk.

"Hey, its never been without just cause, Theo. I'm shocked that you think so little of me", Pansy sniffed with a fake, hurt look on her face.

"You just keep telling yourself that, princess", Blaise smirked.

"Hmph! See if I ever lift a finger to help you again, then", Pansy said with a pout.

"I guess that leaves us with Theo, Blaise and I being the only ones that can approach Potter without a major risk of getting hexed" Millie concluded with a sigh.

"I do believe that you guys are our best bet in this venture", Draco agreed with a quick nod.

"After all, Theo here, is known for his quiet, studious nature while Blaise has always held a neutral standpoint with regards to all matters pertaining to the war, with the added benefit that he's never once taken part in baiting Gryffindors and never picked a fight with the golden trio in particular" he stated with conviction.

"And Millie has always remained an unknown as far as the Golden Trio is concerned. She's always been in the background and they won't know what to make of her straight away, giving you all enough of a chance to get them to at least keep an open mind and hear you guys out", added Pansy in between sips of her strong, black coffee, savoring its caffeine kick. It was after all a luxury afforded to them only on the weekends.

"Now then, do we approach Potter when he's all alone or when he's with Granger and Weasley"? Millie inquired while finishing up her own cup of coffee which had just a touch of cream and sugar. She could never understand how Pansy managed to drink hers straight. It served to give her headaches if she ever made the mistake of taking it black.

"Our best bet would be to approach Potter when he's with Granger. She's more level headed and may be more willing to hear us out", Blaise remarked with a thoughtful glance over at the Gryffindor table where she'd just taken her seat next to Potter.

"Weasley won't even let us get a word in edgewise if he ever came to know that 'Slimy Slytherins' wanted to have a word with Potter", Theo sneered with a dark glare at Weasley who had just entered the Great Hall and was making his way over to his friends.

"He'd probably just hex first and ask questions later" Pansy agreed with an annoyed look on her face.

"I doubt whether he even realizes what's really at stake in this war, for all that he is a pure-blood. His family is too besotted with Dumbledore to see what's happening right beneath their noses and I don't think they've even bothered to teach their children about the nuances of dark and light magic", scoffed Blaise, disgusted at just the thought.

"Though I think Weasley's eldest brother, Will or Bill or something, may know the importance of using both, light and dark magic, for if I'm not mistaken, he works as a curse breaker for Gringotts." Vince pointed out with a calculating look.

"Leaving all that aside, I think Granger will probably be the one most excited to hear about what we have to say, seeing as she is one of the few muggle-borns who is really keen on taking in everything about the wizarding world and molding herself to fit in rather than the doing things the other way around and expecting the wizarding world to change just to suit the needs and beliefs of the muggle-borns", Millie stated with conviction.

"If we can get her to at least listen to us, then we have a fairly decent shot at convincing Potter about the truth of the matter", Greg conceded with a slight frown on his face.

"Hmm, lets just take things as they come." Draco suggested.

"Keep a watch to see if you guys get any chances to approach them and when you do, just take it and see where things go", he advised them.

"It won't do to plan out every single detail in advance. We'll only be going around in circles if we try. When you see your chance, take it; tell them we would like to talk to them, that nothing underhanded is going on and that there are no dirty tricks involved. Ask them to set the date, time and venue if that makes them more comfortable and tell them we'll be there. Swear a mild oath if they want further reassurance. Just get them to agree to come and meet us in private." Draco ordered with a hard glint in his eye.

"Then we'll be able to see which way the wind blows and change our plans accordingly", Blaise concluded calmly.

"Hmm..., lets all hope for the best then", Pansy finished softly as they all started to get up from the table, finished with breakfast and looking forward to a day free of classes.

It was troubling to realize that their very future was dependent on the opinions of one, single wizard, albeit a very powerful one at that. Time alone would tell what their future held in store for them.

* * *

_'Cambio por el mejor' _(Spanish) means 'Change for the better'.

Hope you all liked this chapter ^_^

Please leave a review.


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